First Day in Paris

We're in PARIS!!!  After a long overnight flight, during which Tessa and I did not sleep at all, we headed directly to our hotel.  Thankfully, they could check us in early and we headed up to our lovely room.  Tessa had fallen asleep in the taxi and wasn't really awake.  We all laid down for a nice two hour nap.  It took a little convincing to get Tessa up after just two hours, but if we let her sleep longer she would never adjust to the jet lag.  Our first stop was the iconic Eiffel Tower which was within easy walking distance of our hotel.  Our little photographer-in-training started snapping pictures immediately.

A nearby tourist offered to take pictures of all of us.  The weather was beautiful with sunny skies and a warm breeze.  Since it was Tuesday, the Champs de Mars park was delightfully uncrowded. 

I laughed when Ryan asked me to pose for a baby bump shot.  I am so glad he did though, this is my favorite picture!    

Of course, we wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower.  We bought tickets to go all the way to the top.  The first elevator stopped on the second floor after an unnerving diagonal ascent.  This floor is plenty high all by itself and offers the best views of Pairs.  We walked around and gazed out at the surrounding buildings, trying to get oriented.  We debated not going to the top because we were all a little tired and hungry.  But if we didn't, I was afraid we would regret it.  I remember Ryan and I went to the top last time and I wanted Tessa to have that experience too.  So we stood in the long line waiting for the small red elevator to take us to the top floor.  Ryan and I reminisced about how our lives have changed since the last time we were here.  Back then we were struggling to start a family.  Now here we are with a precious daughter and a son on the way.  I cry a little because in those dark days of infertility I never dreamed my life would turn out so wonderfully.  I blamed the tears on jet lag and hormones.  Holding hands on the elevator, Tessa turned to me in surprise and said "Momma, your hands are sweaty!"  Well, yeah, heights aren't my favorite and we are way high at this point.  The view from the top is stunning though.  We took pictures and tried not to notice how the tower swayed a little under our feet.           

Once we are safely back on the ground, we head across the street for a snack.  We orderd a delicious strawberry and Nutella crepe.  This is my new favorite kind of crepe, we had several more during our trip. 

Tessa spotted a merry go round and so we sent her for a whirl.  She is such a happy girl.  An ice cream cone completed this joyful experience.     

We crossed back across the park to a little playground.  By this time, school was out and there were French kids playing everywhere.  Ryan watched Tessa play on the playground, and I lounged on the grass enjoying the chance to rest.  We told ourselves that we would take it easy on this trip and not try to rush around doing everything.  For this first day at least, we held to that thought.     

We made our way back to our hotel and decided we were all too tired to even sit in a café for dinner.  So we popped into a little corner shop that sold pizza, hot sandwiches and fries.  Then it was bathtime and bedtime, we needed to rest up for our trip to Disneyland Paris the next day.